Holders for bobbins in spinning and preparatory machines

ABSTRACT

A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member for suspending the bobbin holder from a creel rail having a slotted base, the bobbin holder and the suspension member being connected together to form a unit that can be releasably attached to such a creel rail without disassembling the unit.

United States Patent Inventor John Michael Noguera London, England Appl. No. 52,198 Filed July 6, 1970 Patented Dec. 7, 1971 Assignee Casablancas Limited Salford, Manchester, England Priority July 9, 1969 Great Britain 34,672/69 HOLDERS FOR BOBBINS IN SPINNING AND [50] FieldofSearch 242/1297 -129.72, 130-130.2

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,946,537 7/1960 Bahnson lr, 242/1302 3,286,949 11/1966 Whitehead, Sr. et a1 242/ 1 30.2 3,286,950 11/1966 Staufert 242/1302 Primary Examiner- Leonard D. Christian Arlorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen ABSTRACT: A bobbin holder and an associated suspension PREPARATORY MACHINES 7 Chin, 13 Drawing Figs mernber for suspending the bobbin holder from a creel rail havmg a slotted base, the bobbin holder and the suspension US. Cl 242/130-2, member being connected together to f a i ha! can be 7 242/129] releasably attached to such a creel rail without disassembling Int. Cl ..B65h 49/02, the uni[ 1 12? g 77\ ./I7 Lqq 9 14 72 6 5 7O 7 1 IL.- ix 2] 20 I l 1T?I I I I i I l H I I: I I) I 11.

| l l I I I I: I I

| ii i 1 1| 1 I J i 1 PATENTED DEC 7 197i SHEET 1 [IF 4 PATENTED DEC 7 I97i SHEET 2 BF 4 PATENTED DEC 7 |97l SHEETv 3 [IF 4 FIG.5

HOLDERS FOR ROBBINS IN SPINNING AND PREPARATORY MACHINES This invention relates to holders for bobbins in spinning and preparatory machines.

Bobbin holders are conventionally carried in creels on hollow rails, commonly of triangular section with the apexes at the top and the bases slotted. A screw of the bobbin holder passes through the slot and engages with a nut disposed within the rail section. In some cases it is possible loosely to assemble the nut and the screw off the creel and then to slide the assembly along the creel rail from one end of the machine, but in most cases pillars and other supports prevent such sliding and the assembling has to be done in approximately the right position. This involves pushing the nut through the slot of the rail in approximately the right position and then engaging the screw with this floating and inaccessible nut. It will be appreciated that this a difficult and time-consuming procedure.

According to the present invention there is provided a bobbin holder and an associated suspension member for suspending the bobbin holder from a creel rail having a slotted base, the bobbin holder and the suspension member being connected together to form a unit that can be releasably attached to such a creel rail without disassembling the unit; the suspension member having a head with a shank extending therefrom and said head and said shank being of a configuration such that said head can be passed into the creel rail through the slot in the base thereof and the unit rotated to move said head into position to straddle the slot, and such that the slot-straddling portion of said head is determined either by engagement of said shank with opposed edges of the slot, or by engagement of said head with opposed inner faces of the creel rail, such engagement preventing rotation of said head beyond its slotstraddling position whereby rotation of the unit also serves to clamp the unit to the creel rail with said head disposed in its slot-straddling position.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is an elevational view, partly in section, of a bobbin holder and associated suspension member forming a unit that can be secured to a creel rail,

FIG. 2 is a mainly sectional elevation of the upper part of the bobbin holder and the associated suspension member of FIG. 1 shown, in FIG. 2, secured to one form of creel rail,

FIG. 3 is a mainly sectional elevation similar to FIG. 2 but showing the bobbin holder and suspension member unit secured to a second form of creel rail,

FIG. 4 is a mainly sectional elevation similar to FIG. 3 but showing a brake support mounted between the bobbin holder and the creel rail,

FIG. 5 is an elevation of a carrier of the bobbin holder of FIGS. 1 to 4,

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation of a cap of the bobbin holder,

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are respectively front, plan and side views of the suspension member of FIGS. 1 to 4,

FIG. is a sectional view of the suspension member taken on the line X--X of FIG. 9, a head of the member being omitted,

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view, on a larger scale than FIGS. 7 to 10, of part of the suspension member,

FIG. 12 is a sectional plan view of the suspension member part of FIG. 11 taken on the line XIIXII of FIG. 11, and

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a skirt of the bobbin holder and associated suspension member, this skirt also being shown in part in FIG. I but being omitted from the remaining Figures.

The upper end of the spindle 1 of the bobbin holder shown in the FIGS. 1 is rotatably and swingably attached to the carrier 2 of the bobbin holder (shown best in FIG. 5) through the intermediary of a ball bearing 3 having an outer skirted race member 4 which is secured to the spindle I. The inner race member 5 of the ball bearing 3 is engaged with a lower,

domed, end 2A of the carrier 2 so as to be capable of swinging with respect thereto. The carrier 2 projects upwardly through the outer race member 4 to terminate in a head 6, there being a neck 7 between the head 6 and a cylindrical shoulder 23 of the carrier. The bobbin holder also includes the cap 8 (best shown in FIG. 6) for protecting the ball bearing 3 from fly and dust, the upper part of this cap 8 being formed as a nut 9 for retaining the cap in position. The carrier 2 extends through a circular aperture 10 formed at the inner end of the part of the cap 8 that is formed as the nut 9, the shoulder 28 being disposed in this aperture. Around the base of the cap 8 there is a flange 8A that receives an internal rim 20 of an annular skirt 2! (FIG. 13) which, when attached to the cap 8 as shown in FIG. 1, increases the effective size of the cap and serves for preventing ingress of roving or fly to the inner parts of the bobbin holder.

The suspension member 11 (shown best in FIGS. 7 to 12) is of substantially T-configuration. The free end portion 12 of the shank of the member 11 is threaded at 13 for engaging with the nut 9, the nut 9 and threaded portion 12 constituting a threaded connection serving for releasably securing the suspension member to the bobbin holder. Within the portion 12 there is formed a recess 14 for receiving the head 6 of the carrier 2, the recess 14 opening through the curved wall of the portion 12 so that the head 6 can be inserted into the recess 14.

The head 15 of the suspension member 1 I is slim enough, as viewed from the side, to pass through the slot 16 or 16' in the base of the triangular sectioned creel rail 17 or 17' (FIGS. 2 or 3 and 4 respectively), or through the slot 16" in the base of a rectangular sectioned creel rail 17" (FIG. I), but wide enough, as viewed from the front, to straddle this slot 16 or 16 or 16". Between the head 15 and the free end portion 12, the cross-sectional configuration of an unthreaded portion 18 of the shank of the member 11 is of substantially rhomboidal form (see FIG. 10).

The bobbin holder and suspension member unit, with the spindle in position on the carrier 2 and the carrier 2 extending through the aperture 10 in the cap 8, is assembled by first pushing the head 6 of the carrier 2 into the recess 14 of the suspension member 11, the cap 8 being maintained clear of the portion I2. Next the cap 8 is moved along the can'ier 2 until the nut 9 engages the threaded portion 12 whereupon the cap 8 is partially screwed onto the threaded portion 12. The assembled bobbin holder and suspension member unit can now be suspended from the creel rail 17 or 17' or 17''. First the head 15 of the suspension member II is passed through the slot 16 or 16' or 16" and then the cap 8 is rotated to tighten the nut 9. This tends both to rotate the member 11 and the clamp the base of the creel rail between the head 15 and the cap 8. The member 11 rotates until either the shank 18 of the member 11 engages the longitudinal edges of the slot 16 or 16" or 16" or the head 15 engages the opposed inner faces of the creel rail. This engagement prevents further rotation of the member 11 so that further rotation of the cap finally tightens the nut 9 so that the base of the creel rail is firmly clamped between the top of the cap 8 and the lower face of the head 15 of the member 11. It will be noted that the nut 9 also serves to close the part of the recess 14 that opens through the curved wall of the portion 12. Thus the head 6 of the carrier 2 is retained in the recess 14. There is a minimal clearance betweenthe cylindrical shoulder 28 of the carrier 2 and the rim of the circular aperture 10 of the cap 8, whereby the carrier is held in line with the central axis of the bobbin holder.

As shown in FIG. 4, a brake support 19 can be mounted at any desired position around the bobbin holder, the support being clamped between the cap 8 and the creel rail 17 or 17. It is to be noted here that the thread 13 (FIGS. 7 and 9) is sufflciently long for both the brake support 19 and a thick creel base to be accommodated.

It will be appreciated that the bobbin holder and associated suspension member described above in detail can be mounted in any creel rail having an interior sufficiently large to accommodate the head 15 of the suspension member 11, and a slot wide enough to allow the head 15 to be passed therethrough but narrow enough to be straddled by the head 15, the interior dimensions of the creel rail and its slot being such that either the longitudinal edges of the slot will be engaged by the shank portion 18 of the suspension member 11, or the opposed inner faces of the creel rail will be engaged by the head 15, after the head has been passed through the slot and the suspension member rotated. The position at which the bobbin holder and associated suspension member is secured along the creel rail can be selected as desired. It is to be noted that in the assembled condition, the bobbin holder and suspension member, and brake support where provided, for a single unit. It will be appreciated that since the portion 18 of the shank of the member 11 is unthreaded it can have a configuration that is strong and yet narrow enough to be passed through the slots in the creel rail. The threaded portion of the shank of the member 11 can have a length such that the unit can be attaehed to creel rails of a large range of thicknesses.

Iclaim:

l. A bobbin holder and as associated suspension member for suspending the bobbin holder from a creel rail having a slotted base, the bobbin holder and the suspension member being connected together to form a unit that can be releasably attached to such a creel rail without disassembling the unit; the suspension member having a head and a shank extending from the head, and the configuration of said head and said shank being such that said head can be passed into the creel rail through the slot in the base thereof and the unit rotated to move said head into position to straddle the slot, and such that the slot-straddling portion of said head is determined either by engagement of said shank with opposed edges of the slot, or by engagement of said head with opposed inner faces of the creel rail, such engagement preventing rotation of said head beyond its slot-straddling position whereby rotation of the unit also serves to clamp the unit to the creel rail with said head disposed in its slot-straddling position.

2. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 1, wherein said shank has an unthreaded portion adjacent said head and a threaded portion remote from said head; and wherein said threaded portion of said shank and a correspondingly threaded portion of the suspension member are engaged with one another such that rotation of the bobbin holder relative to the suspension member with said head disposed in its slotstraddling position tightens the threaded connection between the bobbin holder and the suspension member to effect said clamping of the unit to the creel rail.

3. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 2, wherein said correspondingly threaded portion of the bobbin holder is a nut formed in a cap of the bobbin holder, a carrier of the bobbin holder being surrounded by this cap and this carrier having rotatably and swingably attached to it the end of the spindle of the bobbin holder that is uppermost in use.

4. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 3, wherein part of the shank of the suspension member defines a recess within the shank, this recess being open laterally for receiving a head of said carrier, and the recess being open in the direction away from the head of the suspension member to allow a neck of the carrier but not the head thereof to pass through, whereby said carrier can be releasably connected to the suspension member by locating the head of the carrier in said recess; said nut, in the assembled unit, serving to close the lateral opening of the recess.

5. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 4, wherein the end of the carrier remote from the head thereof swingably supports the inner race of a ball bearing the outer race of which is secured to said spindle.

6. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 3, wherein the rim of the cap remote from said nut is adapted to support a skirt that serves to increase the elTective size of the cap.

7. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 2, wherein said suspension member is of substantially T-configuration and said unthreaded shank portion has a cross-sectional configuration that is of substantially rhomboidal form. 

1. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member for suspending the bobbin holder from a creel rail having a slotted base, the bobbin holder and the suspension member being connected together to form a unit that can be releasably attached to such a creel rail without disassembling the unit; the suspension member having a head and a shank extending from the head, and the configuration of said head and said shank being such that said head can be passed into the creel rail through the slot in the base thereof and the unit rotated to move said head into position to straddle the slot, and such that the slot-straddling portion of said head is determined either by engagement of said shank with opposed edges of the slot, or by engagement of said head with opposed inner faces of the creel rail, such engagement preventing rotation of said head beyond its slot-straddling position whereby rotation of the unit also serves to clamp the unit to the creel rail with said head disposed in its slotstraddling position.
 2. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 1, wherein said shank has an unthreaded portion adjacent said head and a threaded portion remote from said head; and wherein said threaded portion of said shank and a correspondingly threaded portion of the suspension member are engaged with one another such that rotation of the bobbin holder relative to the suspension member with said head disposed in its slot-straddling position tightens the threaded connection between the bobbin holder and the suspension member to effect said clamping of the unit to the creel rail.
 3. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 2, wherein said correspondingly threaded portion of the bobbin holder is a nut formed in a cap of the bobbin holder, a carrier of the bobbin holder being surrounded by this cap and this carrier having rotatably and swingably attached to it the end of the spindle of the bobbin holder that is uppermost in use.
 4. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 3, wherein part of the shank of the suspension member defines a recess within the shank, this recess being open laterally for receiving a head of said carrier, and the recess being open in the direction away from the head of the suspension member to allow a neck of the carrier but not the head thereof to pass through, whereby said carrier can be releasably connected to the suspension member by locating the head of the carrier in said recess; said nut, in the assembled unit, serving to close the lateral opening of the recess.
 5. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 4, wherein the end of the carrier remote from the head thereof swingably supports the inner race of a ball bearing, the outer race of which is secured to said spindle.
 6. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 3, wherein the rim of the cap remote from said nut is adapted to support a skirt that serves to increase the effective size of the cap.
 7. A bobbin holder and an associated suspension member according to claim 2, wherein said suspension member is of substantially T-configuration and said unthreaded shank portion has a cross-sectional configuration that is of substantially rhomboidal form. 